My brother is schizophrenic and just came in to advise me about how to manage his money. He draws a disability check and I control his money. Which isn't much. He wanted to make sure that if it was over a million dollars, I would handle it correctly.

This didn't even phase me, because I am used to it. At least I understood the question, which is not always the case. I would like to talk with others who must deal with schizophrenia.

There are times when he comes in my room, angry and concerned! And I can't even understand what he is trying to tell me, ask me, warn me about, whatever!

I have become used to being woken up in the middle of the night by him: Yelling at someone. Cursing someone!

Many years ago, he suffered a terrible cut of some kind to his foot. I don't remember how it happened. I just remember the blood in the floorboard of the car my parents used to rush him to the emergency room. I remember it as being thick and deep! Did this cause his mental illness? I don't know. It's a question my family often asked.

But mental illness is a family issue. I have an aunt who is mentally ill: Dad's side. An uncle (Mom's side) who was kind of strange. Alcoholism.

(25-07-2013 03:50 PM)Ameron1963 Wrote: Many years ago, he suffered a terrible cut of some kind to his foot. I don't remember how it happened. I just remember the blood in the floorboard of the car my parents used to rush him to the emergency room. I remember it as being thick and deep! Did this cause his mental illness? I don't know. It's a question my family often asked.

There is no known cause to schizophrenia, though many scientists believe it is genetic.

The triggers can vary but Schizophrenia will emerge at some point regardless of the trigger usually in late adolescence/early adulthood. My cousin is afflicted, his trigger was a week long drug binge of which he has no memory IIRC.

He used to get emails with song lyrics from Jesus and shit like that. The meds make him go all up and down. All my dogs get freaked out by him, they can tell something is off. His apt was like something out of hoarders to hear my dad tell it.

All he does now is read religious books and eat gas station burritos, I never really know what to do with him.

(25-07-2013 04:53 PM)Ameron1963 Wrote: My brother went through the religious books thing too! And my dogs also get freaked out!

I take care of him. And it's ruined my life.

If you have a schizophrenic relative, I recommend that you don't do what I have done! You can't save them and they will crush you!

Yeah it's like the dogs w/ the machines in terminator, they can just tell something is off they have amazing intuition for body language.

I can only imagine dude...My aunt is a total wreak, he was living near his father in FLA for awhile until he had a heart attack and passed. Now my Aunt is back in Jersey and so is he. Her other son is an on again off again heroine addict living with her who can't hold/get a decent job and her successful son just committed suicide (or so I believe) 2 months before his discharge from Afghanistan.

At the funeral all he could do was apologize to my aunt for not being able to feel anything because of the meds...The whole thing was sort of surreal.

Zoom out shit man (my word for encountering the, often painful, larger picture). When stuff you only think happens in books or movies starts to occur around you...people getting abortions, killing themselves, being murdered, mental illness, etc...It just makes life so much more morbidly vivid....changes your perspective.

My brother hasn't taken his meds in years! But they never really helped anyways. His bedroom is full of trash and he looks like a mad monk! Wont cut his beard. When he bathes, which is rare, it clogs up the sink.

I am ashamed of MYSELF for the condition he is in. But I can barely keep myself intact!

(25-07-2013 05:11 PM)Ameron1963 Wrote: My brother hasn't taken his meds in years! But they never really helped anyways. His bedroom is full of trash and he looks like a mad monk! Wont cut his beard. When he bathes, which is rare, it clogs up the sink.

I am ashamed of MYSELF for the condition he is in. But I can barely keep myself intact!

Yeah there is no way man, my cousin doesn't shave either, his complexion is that of a pizza and he has about 100lbs on me and I'm not a small guy.

You shouldn't feel any guilt about it man, it's a disease and it's a terrible one and there is not a whole lot to be done. You're winning if he hasn't been institutionalized.

They say it is like tripping on acid, but I can't see it...Maybe if you tripped for months on end and you started loosing your grip on what is and isn't real entirely and without the dopamine levels to keep your mood up.

(25-07-2013 04:53 PM)Ameron1963 Wrote: I take care of him. And it's ruined my life.

Wrong point of view. I ain't been through what you going through, but I have had to house and feed my brother and his breed while he got back on his feet. It wasn't a choice, it was an obligation. You are doing the right thing and your character thanks you for that. And character is all that counts.

He got off his meds many years ago, while he was still in my parents care. I could never get him back on them! He would attack me if I even suggested it. As I said, he want's to know what the government is doing with his millions.

Because he invented a spacecraft, powered by hot pepper juice and a couple of other things I don't remember. And the Mayor of Mayfield is somehow involved in the cover up! And . . . You get the drift? He fired up the grill, a couple of weeks ago. No harm there, right? You cook some burgers and some hotdogs. What can go wrong? So, I ate some of it and it tasted funny! Put it down immediately, because I've been around the block here! He asked me about it later. How did I feel? Was I feeling more healthy? Turns out he gathered leaves and who knows what else, from nature, and mixed it in with the food!

He rolls his own cigarettes. Saves us money. He puts salt in the tubes to save him from: "The Black Cankor."

So! If you're a nice girl, I'd love to date you! If things get serious, you'll be living with me and . . . oh? Not interested? I can't imagine why???